In office buildings, large open areas are often finished off to define an office environment configured for the specific needs of a business. This may be accomplished through combinations of different building systems such as raised floor systems, ceiling systems, wall panel systems, and desking or other furniture systems.
In typical offices, it is necessary to provide data communication systems and power distribution systems to route power and communications circuits throughout multiple workstation areas. One inventive power distribution system comprises modular electrical components which are readily connectable together in multiple configurations depending upon the specific environment in which the power system will be used. The modular components include a solid wire power distribution assembly which forms a solid wire bus, a receptacle and flexible connector cables wherein the system is generally disclosed in Published PCT Application Publication No. WO/2004/057716 A1, which is owned by the assignee hereof, namely, Haworth, Inc. The disclosure of this published PCT application is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a manufacturing process for manufacturing components of the afore-mentioned power distribution system. This process relates to the manufacture of flex connectors which have plugs provided on the opposite ends of an intermediate cable section. The intermediate cable section includes multiple conductor wires having opposite ends projecting outwardly of an outer insulative cover or jacket. The plugs are attached to the opposite ends of the cable wherein each plug includes an outer housing and cover, as well as a plurality of multi-prong quad-point electrical terminals. Each terminal is connected to a respective wire and then fitted into an appropriate socket therefore. A preferred cable has ten wires therein wherein each opposite end of the cable has ten terminals connected to the ten wires.
The manufacturing method relates to the process for assembling a flex connector and in particular, the process for connecting the terminals to the opposite ends of the wires and then fitting the terminals into the plug housing.
Other objects and purposes of the invention, and variations thereof, will be apparent upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience and reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, the words “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “rightwardly” and “leftwardly” will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the arrangement and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.